Dancing Into The Dark
by akinaxx
Summary: Dark found Riku, a dancer with just the right raw material to make it to professional dancing, and Hiwatari is a popular young producer.  With blossoming romance and sibling rivalry, what will come of all this?
1. Chapter 1

Dancing into the Dark

_Could it be Fate?_

**Disclaimer: I don't own D.N. Angel in any way. I'm just an average fan.**

"Wow! That girl's got some moves!" a young man with dark purple hair and matching eyes commented as he watched a girl of about 17 dance her heart out on the dance floor. He had stopped by the best teen club in town to meet up with a friend, but that friend was an hour late and the angel of dance was interesting him more and more. She had a short mop of reddish brown hair and fierce, light brown eyes that seemed to have pierced the hearts of several boys around the room.

As far as he could tell she'd come with her twin sister who was dancing, far less impressively in the corner of the dance floor with a boy with strange, spiky brown hair and a camera around his neck. He seemed thrilled to even be near the look-a-like and was rattling off some tale that had the girl's undivided attention.

The song ended and the girl left the dance floor panting. She bought herself bottled water and quickly chugged it down. The man decided that now was the time to make his move. He left his chair and approached the girl. He put an arm against the wall and leaned in, partially boxing her in against the wall.

Upon being closed in by the young man the girl capped her water and wiped her hand across her mouth. "Can I help you?" she asked plainly, with a hint of irritation hidden in her eyes.

The man smirked. "I noticed that you've got a talent for dancing." He informed her, "Just thought that you might be interested in taking it to the next level."

She laughed mockingly, "Oh, and I suppose you could help me get to this 'level'?" She rolled her eyes at him and took another swig of water.

"That's right." He said, his smirk broadening into a grin. "You've got the raw potential but you need to shape your style and performance." She looked at him quizzically, clearly puzzled. "To put it lightly you're movements are wild." He added helpfully.

The girl's cheeks reddened out of a mix of both anger and embarrassment. "Well, excuse me. I didn't know that being 'wild' was a crime!" She looked at him with a hurt expression and walked away.

Before she could get anywhere he came back around and stopped her with his arm. "I'm not done talking to you." He informed her cockily.

She sighed impatiently, "Yea? Well I'm done talking to you." With that she stuffed the now empty bottle of water into his chest and ducked under his arm, and went back to the dance floor.

The young man stared after her hungrily. He knew talent when he saw it, and he wasn't ready to let this girl slip through his fingers. He joined her in the mass of dancing people just as Don't Stop the Music by Rihanna started to play.

Many people started bouncing to the beat and the girl was using her curves to dance out each beat and at some points she'd stop and roll her body. It was a good solo, but just as the lines, "Your hands my waist, just let the music play, we're hand in hand, chest to chest, and now we're face to face," played through the speakers he did exactly as the words said and began to guide her around the floor.

For one of the movements he held out his legs and bent her over it. He took this opportunity to taunt her, "So, as I was saying. I'm not through talking with you." She pretended not to hear as she let herself fall back over his knee. Just as she popped back up and twisted away from him he asked. "What's your name?"

"What does it matter?" she called to him over the music. She had her hands over her head and she let herself drop closer and closer to the floor with every beat then she swung her hips while she made her way back up.

He watched her, smirking, "Why are you dodging the question?" He grabbed hold of one of her hands and pulled her close to him with one strong tug.

She blushed in spite of herself and sighed, in a voice just loud enough for him to hear, "Riku."

He spun her around and brought her back in so that her back was against his chest and he leaned his head on her shoulder as he bopped back and forth in time with the music. "I like that. Riku," he said it contemplatively, but it sent shivers up Riku's spine. "It's got a nice ring to it."

She shook off the tingling feeling that was making its way throughout her body and making her feel light headed. Meanwhile, the young man had taken control of their dance together and he was finishing up the song by feeling up the leg that had instinctively come up around him as he leaned towards her.

The song ended and he helped the breathless Riku back up before walking towards the exit. She stayed a moment, dazed by all that had just happened, and soon she found herself chasing after the strange man. "Wait!" she called to him as they arrived at the street in front of the club.

He looked back at her with one eyebrow raised.

"Um… you asked for my name… isn't it only natural to give your own?" she asked while studying the intricate patterns in the pavement.

He grinned, unnoticed by Riku, and responded, "Dark Mousy."

A sudden wind blew down the street and caused strands of Riku's hair to fall into her eyes. When she looked back up, Dark had disappeared. "Dark Mousy." Riku tried out the name, letting it roll over her tongue. She gave a small smile, "Maybe we'll meet again."

**A/N: Hey everyone! This is my first time writing a fanfiction for D.N. Angel! I got this idea while reading a different fanfiction. I felt that these characters best suited the story I wanted to create, so please no flames against DarkXRiku… I do like DaisukeXRiku; it's just that this pairing suits this story best.**

**Also I have a small poll! **

**One question: Should I write more chapters or should this be a one-shot?**

**Please answer! Thank you!**

**Anyway, please review so I can use the feedback on possible, following chapters.**

**Ja ne!**

**~Akinaxx**


	2. Chapter 2: Start a Fire!

Dancing into the Dark

_Chapter Two:_

_Start a Fire_

It was a lazy Monday afternoon, everyone was moving at snail pace due to the lethargy that hit at the start of every new week. One silver haired man who had been unaffected by the curse quickly made his way through his office, dodging the innocently snoozing staff members that struggled to keep themselves from falling into a deeper stupor. The young executive boss sighed, wondering how they would manage to make their deadline with his co-workers in such an unambitious state. For the moment he forgot about the looming pressures of the show they would be hosting two months from now, and instead tried to focus his attention on their biggest problem.

This problem being their… mascot, if you will. The silver haired man found him snoozing on a couch in the break room with a small group of the female staff adoring his sleeping self from a nearby table. Upon the entry of their boss they quickly buried their noses deep into their coffee mugs and ceased their giggling and gossiping.

One piped up, "Ohayo, Hiwatari-san." Her voice was meek as she attempted to greet him in a friendly manner. Her boss, Satoshi Hiwatari, waved her off as he stood in front of the purple haired problem. He sighed, pushed his glasses up the bridge of his nose and with the strength and swiftness that any martial artist would be envious off, he picked Dark up off the couch and threw him against the wall while only moving his right arm.

Dark crumpled to the floor for a moment before pushing himself up groggily. He sat up Indian style and looked at Hiwatari with a disapproving glare. "Now, is that any way to treat your greatest dancing talent?" he asked with a smirk creeping across his features.

Hiwatari hardly blinked before responding, "When that talent is a no-good sloth, it's the least I can do as Chief of Staff to whip him into shape." His seemingly innocent answer was laced with malice as cold as his light blue eyes.

"Ouch!" Dark put his hands to his chest in mock pain. "That one really hurt, Hiwatari-_sama_!" he purred.

Hiwatari rolled his eyes and tossed a rolled up newspaper at his incompetent lackey. "This is going to be your competition on the program," He informed him coolly as Dark smoothed out the wrinkled pages, "That is, of course, if you can find a partner."

Dark's head shot up. Flashes of the girl he'd seen three nights ago flipped through his mind like an old film movie. She'd been so perfect! Every movement she made accented some part of the music playing, and she had an attractiveness that commanded attention on the dance floor. Although he had to admit that she was just as pretty standing still as she was when she was dancing. He had to have her, his career, and his company depended on it. In the midst of thought Dark's eyes rolled over the photographs as he brushed a hand through his gravity defying, purple spikes.

Offhandedly he mumbled, "Trust me, I've found a partner."

Hiwatari raised an eyebrow at him, "Oh, is that so?"

Dark nodded distractedly as he scanned the pages. His mouth dropped open when he saw the last picture of the couples that would be participating in their program. "Rika." He whispered to himself.

"Yes, yes, the love of your life is now your greatest rival," Hiwatari said right behind him, his breath ticking the few hairs that rested against it. Dark shot up and turned around to face Hiwatari, while holding the back of his neck. His boss straightened up, "And she'll be the biggest obstacle that you'll have to overcome." His posture showed that he wouldn't accept any crap from his "talent" and that he'd better whip himself into shape.

Dark gulped as the murderous aura became thick and suffocating.

"You will find a partner by the end of the week." This was definitely a demand, and when he took a hesitant glance up at his boss there was a glare on Hiwatari's glasses. They always did that when he was pissed off.

Dark nodded his head vigorously, righted himself and babbled, "Y-yes, sir!" before bounding out of the room at such a speed that one would think he was flying.

Once Dark was gone Hiwatari let loose a small chuckle. His talent had always been a light-hearted fool, and he took great pleasure when his manipulations worked, because although Dark was a fool at times, he was smart too and not someone who was easy to control.

He left the room smiling to himself while the female staff members that had witnessed the entire exchange sat in utter silence for a few long moments before breaking out into an array of various squeals of excitement and glee upon what they had just seen.

XXXXX

Dark had returned to the teen club every night for the past three days but unfortunately his dancing angel hadn't returned. Every night he'd sit in a corner, slightly hidden from the crowd of bouncing teens. "Amateurs." He grumbled. Their incessant up and down motions proving nothing special.

He sighed and placed his chin in his hands. The man working at the counter came over to him. "Something the matter?" he asked innocently while wiping a glass.

Dark raised an eyebrow and looked up at the man. He wasn't sure why they went to such lengths to make this place seem like a real club but he shrugged anyway and answered, "Yes, I suppose so."

The "bartender" raised both his eyebrows and putting the cup down, leaned over and asked, "Anything a listening ear can help with?"

The cliché was too much; Dark smirked in spite of himself. "Yea, alright, would you say you knew most of the regular visitors here?" he asked, voice turning serious.

After a few hesitant glances the man nodded his head, "I suppose so. At least I would recognize someone that's bought a drink from me before." His reply was a bit unreliable, but it was the only lead he had.

Trying to sound calm, cool, and collected, he asked nonchalantly, "So, do you know of a fiery girl with short, reddish-brown hair? She usually buys a bottle of water when she's here." He wasn't sure if his description was completely accurate. Who was he to know if she was even a regular at this place?

The bartender took a moment to think over the details and when it seemed like he wasn't getting anywhere Dark racked his brain for more information. He tried picturing that evening three days ago. She was a master on the dance floor, she really knew how to grab an audience, but on the other hand, her sister hardly knew how to jump in time with the rhythm. His amethyst eyes lit up. That was it! He turned back to the bartender and added, "She has a twin. She usually comes here with her sister, a girl with long, wavy brown hair."

Upon hearing this, the bartender's eyes widened. "Oh you mean those sisters? Yeah, they come here fairly often. It's usually hard to say when they'll drop in, but you can count on them being here every Friday." He added the last part slowly. "Speaking of Friday… that's today isn't it?"

Dark rifled through his brain trying to think of what day it was and found that it was indeed Friday and with this new information found himself sitting up a little straighter, hope giving him good posture. He searched the club once more and found that the twins still hadn't arrived, so instead he turned to the bartender and asked, "Un, what's your name? I don't know how else to refer to my listening ear besides, bartender!"

The man laughed and nodded in agreement. "My name is Tarou, Yamanaka Tarou." He explained proudly.

Holding in a laugh Dark nodded with a twitching grin, "Name's Dark." He held out his hand and shook with Tarou.

Just then the twins entered the club. The no-talent sister was immediately swarmed by a group of boys with hearts in their eyes while Riku looked on with disgust. Dark stood and with a light wave at Tarou joined the crowd, towering over the boys by a good foot, and the twins by a little less. He approached Riku smirking. "Guess we meet again." He told her cheerily as if the entire meeting was a simple coincidence.

She gave him a skeptic look before sighing. "I suppose so." She relented and then looked back up at him. "Well it was nice meeting you." She dismissed herself after this and began to walk away but found that a hand on her arm stopped her from moving forward.

Before she could ask him what he wanted, Riku found herself being pulled backwards and soon her back met the wall and strong, nicely tanned arms were on either side of her, holding her in place. He closed in and whispered in her ear, "I have something important to ask you, Riku."

Dark smiled to himself as he felt the girl before him shiver upon hearing her name. Riku blushed slightly; she hated how her body reacted whenever she heard him call her.

"Meet me on the dance floor." He finished and walked off towards the larger crowd of hopping teens.

XXXXX

Riku stood there, unsure of what to do, the heat Dark had given off left her feeling cold. She shivered slightly and crossed her arms.

"Riku!" She heard her sister squeal breathlessly beside her. She'd turned away all of the horny boys from earlier and now she had stars in her eyes. "Who was that just now?" Her sister asked pulling on her arm.

She rolled her eyes and grumbled, "Risa, he's bad news." She blushed a little as she thought of how they'd danced before. It seemed so long ago and a small part of her wanted to experience the thrill of dancing with him. His movements were fluid and demanded her to react.

She stayed off in space until Risa waved a hand in front of her eyes. "So, you'll introduce him to me right?" she asked eagerly. "I mean, that's what sister's are for, right? They're supposed to back you up in times like this." She was bouncing on the balls of her feet and the look on her face forced her to… run for her life!

"There's no way I'm going to introduce Risa to a creep like him." She mumbled as she made her way to the dance floor. She caught onto the beat the moment her feet met the floor.

After a few moments where she'd cleared her head and allowed the music to consume her she noticed that she was no longer alone. Dark had found her and if she didn't know any better, he was challenging her to a dance-off. He raised his eyebrows cockily at her as he pulled of move after move.

Riku couldn't hold it in any longer. She shoved him aside lightly and did a few twists, rolls, and with some fancy foot work, finally stepped aside.

Dark grinned at her, finding her more fascinating with every trick she pulled off. He looked around for a moment before gesturing for her to follow him over to the corner where they first met.

Once he was sure that they were alone and that there weren't any annoying eavesdroppers listening in, he drew in a deep breath and explained, "Listen, I know you said you weren't interested before, but just hear me out. You're a really good dancer and I know that you'll go far if you turn professional. I'm already a professional dancer and I know that I can help you reach a point that would take years on your own." Riku opened her mouth to speak, but Dark put a finger to her lips. "I told you to hear me out." She nodded and drew back again. "Thank you. Now, the company I work for is fairly famous in the entertainment industry, and they've set up a new program that's centered on dancers like you and me." Dark rubbed the back of his head, "Of course it's pair dancing though, and I'm partnerless for the time being." He shrugged his shoulders and scratched his cheek, a sheepish expression melting onto his features.

Slowly Riku caught on to what he was asking, but still slightly shaken and unable to believe what he was asking hesitantly confirmed, "So, you want me to… you want me to be your partner?"

Her confirmation was a question more so than a clarification but Dark nodded anyway. "Exactly that." He whispered seemingly shy about the situation.

Riku didn't know how to react. Her first instinct was to pull away and call the cops on the prankster, but then she remembered the way he danced and how he could pull off some of the most complicated stunts flawlessly. This ultimately was what caused her to agree, "Alright then. I'll be your partner for the competition."

Dark's face lit up upon hearing her words and for a split second Riku regretted what she'd said and was preparing to eat her words when she saw the excited and grateful expression that had taken over his visage. Her eyes softened and she asked, slightly excited herself, "So, what are we going to do for the competition?"

He smirked at her question, having been brought back to the conversation from cloud nine or where ever it is he'd been the past couple minutes. "For now, all I can tell you is that our main routine will be centered on the song Start a Fire by Ryan Star and that this," he pulled out a piece of paper obviously ripped from a small notebook, "is my cell number." He winked at her before walking off, a hand raised in goodbye, "Call me when you get the chance."

Riku found herself blushing as she held the ragged paper to her chest. She couldn't explain the effect he had on her but it was enough to make her act so reckless as to accept a random guy's phone number and to agree to be on a TV program.

**A/N: Okay, so I got quite a few replies telling me to make this into a story! I hope that those that did like this chapter and find it entertaining! If this still isn't long enough or there's something you want added in please tell me and I'll do my best!**

**Thanks for reading! Please review!**

**Ja ne!**

**~Akinaxx**


	3. Chapter 3: Charade

Dancing Into the Dark

_Chapter Three:_

_Charade_

_Tick… Tick… Tick… _the sound of each second passing reverberated in Riku's head as she stared determinedly at the object in her hands. "Okay, I've got to do this!" she repeated to herself for the umpteenth time, "It's not that hard." She reached forward and then quickly withdrew her hand. Grumbling to herself about acting stupid she walked over to her bed and collapsed on it, staring at the rectangular shape that was the object of her anxiety.

_It's just a phone call. _She chided herself silently; _It's not even for personal reasons. I'm calling about business. Business. _Once again she failed to dial the number Dark had given her the other night. She knew that she was being ridiculous, but she just couldn't seem to call him without hanging up upon hearing the first ring.

As she was about to make her zillionth attempt a loud bang came from her doorway as Risa came prancing into the room. "Riku! What are you doing? Are you going to use the phone or not? I want to figure out my fortune for this week!" she added with extra enthusiasm. Risa's belief in fortune telling was enough to make Riku reconsider her wasted time staring at the phone.

Upon seeing Riku's slightly troubled expression Risa asked, "What? Did you get a bad connection? I saw you pressing buttons earlier, here just call them back." With that Risa hit the redial and Riku jumped as the phone began ringing, causing it to clatter to the floor.

"Risa!" Riku sighed out of a mixture of anxiety and aggravation.

Risa laughed nervously and held up her hands as if trying to prove herself innocent of a crime, "Don't have to thank me." Then she swiftly left the room, closing the door behind her.

Riku scratched the back of her head. Risa always went at her own pace. Suddenly she heard a click and a male voice asked, "Hello?"

Riku's eyes widened and she dived to the floor to retrieve the phone and hurriedly blurted, "Dark?"

At first there was only silence and for a moment she thought he'd hung up. Then the same voice asked slowly, "Who is this?"

The voice definitely wasn't Dark's and it made Riku a little hesitant, "Riku… Riku Harada. Um, I'm supposed to talk to someone named Dark Mousy. He's a dancer… there was something about being his partner for some competition."

Her explanation was a little confusing, but she felt that she'd gotten the point across. Again there was a long moment of silence before the voice answered, "One moment please." She heard a bit of shuffling and some strange sort of argument before the voice she'd been afraid to hear yawned, "Hello?"

Riku felt her face flush. It sounded like he'd just woken up. Uncertain about how to respond at first, she played with the hem of her shorts. Her mind was racing, searching for an impressive and professional way to greet him. Time was running short and she was quickly running out of options. Feeling slightly flustered and pressured to speak she said the most intelligent response that came to mind, "Hi."

There was a long silence and tongue-tied as she was, Riku didn't know what to say. For a short while Riku considered feigning ignorance and hanging up, but she quickly realized that this wouldn't work since she'd already given her name, so Dark clearly knew it was her. While this internal debate raged inside her head she heard a quiet chuckle on the other end. "Huh?" the perplexed question only seemed to make him laugh harder. Getting a little angry, and forgetting her previous anxiety Riku asked, "What's so funny?"

Through gasps for air Dark attempted to explain, "You sound like a monster, grunting and groaning like that!" It sounded like he'd fallen to the floor in his fit of laughter.

Feeling foolish and a bit insulted Riku huffed, "Well, I was going to ask for details about this competition I'm supposed to be a part of, but I guess you're busy today." She tried her best to keep her tone even as her blood boiled. Her thumb was hovering over the END button when she heard something that sounded like frantic quacking coming from the other end. Tentatively she brought the phone back up to her ear.

She regretted it immediately, for as soon as she did Dark yelled, "Wait! Please, wait, this program is very important! Don't hang up!" With tinted cheeks and a slight frown on her face Riku pulled the phone back to her ear, "Fine. Then please explain what I'm supposed to be doing. I've never done a T.V. program before and I'm not an experienced dancer. I mean, I've never even had lessons before!" Her voice had become slightly frantic as she imagined the worldwide T.V. audience laughing at her after an embarrassing misstep.

Dark tried not to laugh as he said, "Don't worry. With the way you dance, you won't need lessons." Upon hearing this Riku could feel heat rise to her cheeks. "Remember that night I danced with you? You said it was your first time pair dancing, and you were marvelous." Again, there was a strange tingling feeling inside her head that made her feel a bit dizzy. "You're a really gifted dancer and I can't wait for everyone to realize that."

By now Riku's face was as red as a tomato and she was looking all around the room while fanning herself. She was so flustered by his sudden praise that she didn't know what to make of it. After a couple minutes of trying to settle her nerves she asked evenly, "So, what do I need to do for this competition."

Dark sounded a bit hesitant as he explained, "Well, there's a lot for me to tell you, and we'll have to come up with some schedule that works around school for you to come to the company and practice with me."

Riku nodded, even though Dark couldn't see her she still wanted to make some assertion that she understood what she was being told. After a few minutes of Dark's ramblings she cut in, "Dark, I understand what you mean. When should I drop by your company?" Even as she said it she felt a rush of excitement. Something was about to start.

Ten minutes later she had gotten an address and a time for when she would go to the company. She had decided to go after school tomorrow. Before she could really take in the magnitude of what she was getting involved in, Risa ran in, snatched the phone, and ran back out. With the phone gone Riku fell back on her bed and stared at her ceiling, but what she was really seeing were images of her new dance partner.

XXXXX

It wasn't long before word of Dark's new dance partner spread amongst his colleagues. Everywhere he went people broke out in whispers. Everyone wanted to know what this girl looked like, and what about her had impressed Dark to the extent of wanting her as a partner. Dark could read the questions on the faces of passerby, but chose to ignore them.

Today, he would be meeting with Riku to further inform her about the program and to practice together. He was feeling pretty proud of himself, until someone kicked him from behind.

Dark, not expecting the sudden attack fell forward, however at the last second he was able to throw out his arm and use the momentum of his fall to spin, in his now crouched form, to face his assailant. When he was met with the glare of well polished glasses Dark's previously prideful air diminished slightly. Hiwatari's glasses only hid his eyes when he was pissed off; meaning that he was incredibly angry at Dark for some reason.

Taking a chance Dark smirked, standing and pretending to dust himself off, "You know, if you really wanted my attention you could have called out to me. That's what a normal person would do."

This whole scene had happened in the corridor lined by cubicles of the various co-workers who were helping with the program and various other variety shows. Usually it was very loud with everyone talking on their own separate line, but for some reason it had gotten very quiet. A quick glance around the room showed numerous heads peeking out over and around the walls of the cubicles. Any public interaction between Hiwatari and Dark instantly became a form of entertainment.

"I didn't think an idiot knew what it meant to _be_ like a normal person." Hiwatari replied curtly. He adjusted his glasses and continued, "Besides, would a normal, _rational_ 21 year-old man hit on a high school girl?" Hiwatari had managed to keep his voice even and knowing that their disagreements often became the highlight of their colleagues' day as well as the biggest reason for work not getting done, he motioned for Dark to follow him and trudged into his office, moody and royally pissed.

XXXXX

Hiwatari slammed the door behind him while Dark made himself comfy in one of the fluffy armchairs in the room. He leaned back, perfectly at ease with the situation, "I can't imagine why you're so angry." Dark muttered while pretending to flick off a piece of offensive lint, "You told me to get a partner for the program and that's exactly what I did. Shouldn't you be rewarding me instead?"

"Will a dog biscuit suffice?" Hiwatari asked icily. He was in no mood for joking and Dark was naturally his polar opposite, now while upset, he was even more annoying than usual.

Dark's brow's furrowed as if he were seriously considering the worth of a dog biscuit. Just as he was about to open his mouth to reply, Hiwatari cut him off by shoving a paper with oversized print under his nose. Dark looked up at Hiwatari, slightly affronted. No matter how angry Hiwatari got he rarely got testy enough to start behaving childishly. Although he was 17 years old he always seemed to have a mature and authoritative demeanor.

When Hiwatari saw Dark's puzzled expression he gestured toward the papers with his eyes and spat, "Read!"

Taken aback by his sudden vehemence Dark quickly scanned the page and realized why his boss was so angry with him. Somehow the press had gotten hold of information about his "new partner" and they had run wild with whatever rumor they'd been given. The title read something like, _Greatest Scandal in Black Wings History!_ Black Wings was the name of their company and the "greatest scandal" was what they described as: _the heinous actions of their prized talent, the Dark Mousy. _The rest of the article went a little something like this:

_How could Black Wings let their star do something so unethical as to flirt with an innocent high school student? Dark Mousy is known to all as being handsome, playful, and worst of all flirtatious, but who would've thought that he would use these qualities to bewitch an unsuspecting teenager? Witnesses saw Dark Mousy hitting on this young lady at a local teen hot spot a few nights ago and not too long after claimed to witness the two dirty dancing together. Could this teenaged fling be Dark's new heartthrob? Sources believe…_

After that the article went on to discuss some of the other relationships he'd had that people had disapproved of. Luckily Rika's name wasn't mentioned, which made him more at ease. He didn't want that relationship blown up for the whole country to see for a second time. It had ended badly enough the first time.

Otherwise, the article in general seemed pretty ridiculous. They were mostly using fancy language to call him a pedophile and a rapist without actually saying it. "They're just trying to protect themselves from charges of slander." Dark muttered to himself.

"They're trying to ruin you." Hiwatari told him pointedly, "Look at who wrote it."

Dark scanned the page again and found the name, Saehara Takeshi. Confused for the umpteenth time that day, Dark asked, "Am I supposed to recognize this name?"

Hiwatari made a noise that sounded a whole awful lot like a growl, and explained, "Saehara Takeshi is famous for being a persistent reporter. He'll stop at nothing to get the 'big scoop' for the paper. If he's on your case, you're doomed to having him follow you around. Which means Harada-san's privacy may be in jeopardy soon." He paused to see if this last sentence struck a chord with Dark. Although Dark shifted his weight a bit he didn't seem to feel to guilty about the danger he could be putting an innocent girl into. "What I'm trying to say is," Hiwatari began as he sank into his chair behind his large desk, sounding utterly exhausted, "He's a difficult opponent to deal with. Don't underestimate him or you may end up hurting that girl."

Dark nodded and rose from his chair. He stretched and then with a sigh agreed, "I'll be careful, there's no way I'll let that hypocrite catch me." During the conversation Dark had remembered something. Back at the club he had seen Saehara Takeshi. He must've been there for the paper for whatever reason, but it occurred to Dark that the boy who was talking with Riku's sister was wearing a nametag that read Saehara Takeshi. Thinking on that, a smirk plastered on his countenance, he left Hiwatari alone in his office.

The young boss leaned back in his chair and stared at the door that Dark had left through only moments ago. "You don't understand." He whispered to the silent room, "As long as he's around, your charade is over."

XXXXX

Riku arrived at the lobby of Black Wings promptly at 3:00. Unsure of what was expected she brought her duffel bag packed with clothes that were easier to move in and towels. Hesitantly she approached the front desk and waited patiently for the lone receptionist to finish with her phone call.

However, before she'd hung up with whoever was on the line the receptionist covered the receiver with her hand and asked, "Can I help you?"

Frazzled at being asked so suddenly Riku scrambled to answer her, "…" What came out was a bunch of gibberish. Embarrassed, and feeling a little foolish Riku attempted to calm herself before replying once again, "I have an appointment with Dark Mousy."

The receptionist quickly spoke into the receiver, hung up, and then dialed a different number. After hearing some muffled sound from the phone Riku saw the receptionist ask something and then hung up yet again. She then turned to Riku and stated, "Mousy-san is unavailable at the moment please wait over there until he comes down to meet you."

Riku nodded and headed over to the area the receptionist had gestured towards. It was a cozy little sitting area with squishy armchairs, comfy looking, plush couches, and coffee tables covered in the latest fashion magazines. As Riku took the time to look around the place she noticed a color theme. Almost all the walls and tile were white, but the alcove that was the front desk had wood paneling and meanwhile this sitting area had black leather furniture, and wood coffee tables. It was a bizarre mix of colors and Riku didn't dare look up to see how the lighting and higher floors incorporated this pattern.

Riku was just about to pick up one of the fashion magazines when she heard someone call out, "Harada Riku!" She turned, hoping to see Dark, but instead saw a boy not much older than her wearing ripped up jeans, a wine colored t-shirt, and an ugly green and brown striped jacket. He had puffy brown hair, matching eyes, and around his neck swung a camera.

Riku stood as he approached and asked, "Yes?"

The boy laughed and rummaged in his jacket pocket before taking out a business card, "My name's Saehara Takeshi, I work as a journalist for the daily newspaper." He showed her the card and gestured towards the couch and an armchair directly across from it. "Shall we have a seat?" he asked her as he seated himself in the armchair.

Riku nodded slowly and sat back in her original spot. After a few moments of silence she asked, "Excuse me, I know you're a journalist so it makes sense for you to come to big entertainment industry like Black Wings, but what's your reason for wanting to speak with me?"

Saehara-san laughed, "Well, let's just say I heard from a secret source that you were Dark Mousy's new fling."

Upon hearing this Riku flushed, "That's ridiculous. Dark is a professional dancer, why would he have any interest in someone like me." As she said it she realized that she didn't want to believe it. It hurt to think that he didn't feel anything for her, especially after the way they'd danced together.

It seemed Saehara-san picked up on her emotions because he asked, "You don't believe that."

Riku looked up, somewhat confused.

Saehara-san just smiled, "I think he has an interest in you, but that his previous relationship is stopping him from making a move on you." Then Saehara-san became pensive and said thoughtfully, "Funny, now that I think about it, your names are similar."

Riku was confused. She had no idea that Dark had had a bad relationship, it seemed like he was the type of guy that got anything and everything he wanted. She found it hard to believe that one woman was giving him so much trouble.

Saehara-san was about to ask her a question of some kind but just then, Dark walked off a nearby elevator and looked around. Once he spotted Riku he made an immediate beeline.

Following Saehara-san's stare she saw Dark coming towards them. She smiled slightly and turned to Saehara to continue the conversation but he had suddenly pulled up the hood on his jacket and stood. "Thank you for talking with me. Keep the business card!" he hurriedly spat out and then rushed out of the building.

"Well that was strange." Riku muttered to herself, picking up Saehara's business card.

Dark had finally reached Riku and having heard her statement asked, "What was strange?"

"That man," she pointed towards Saehara's retreating back, "He randomly started saying some strange things about you, and then handed me this business card in a hurry once you showed up." Riku raised the business card for Dark to see. He read the name, Saehara Takeshi, and suddenly had a bad taste in his mouth.

"Just trash that useless thing." He said, and then looked at his wristwatch nonchalantly, "We're running a bit late." He then grabbed her wrist and pulled Riku towards the elevators. "Let's get to work!"

Riku could tell that something strange was going on, but decided to leave it be for now and tried not to blush as she realized that he was holding her hand.

XXXXX

**A/N: Hello! Wow, another chapter… at last! I think I may need to put a disclaimer here saying that the part where Riku was wrestling with herself about calling Dark was not an original idea. I got the idea from Cardcaptor Sakura when Sakura is debating about whether or not she should call Yukito-san. I just twisted it to fit my story because I thought it was a cute idea! **

**Thank you to those that are continuing to read this even thought the updates are far apart. Please Read, Enjoy, and Review!**

**Ja ne!**

**~Akinaxx**


	4. Chapter 4: Jar of Hearts

Dancing Into the Dark

_Chapter Four:_

_Jar of Hearts_

Riku let herself get dragged onto an elevator and waited as the elevator began to rise to whatever floor Dark had hastily chosen when they'd first stepped on. Ever since she had shown him the reporter's business card Dark had been eerily silent and brooding. He didn't look at her once the entire ride up to what seemed like the 100th floor. As the doors opened with a ding, he sauntered out, still holding firmly onto Riku.

Unsure of where they were going Riku could do little else, but examine her surroundings. This was the first time that Riku had been to a place like this and she wasn't sure if this place was exactly like she imagined or the exact opposite. People rushed about with stacks of papers, phones were ringing off the hook, and everyone seemed incredibly busy; yet somehow they seemed to have enough time to stop and stare as she and Dark passed them by.

They finally arrived before a rather official looking door and without knocking, Dark proceeded to enter unannounced. The next few minutes were a bit of a blur as Dark sat Riku in an armchair that was much too comfortable and seated himself in an identical seat. "Well, here she is in all her glory." Dark muttered with a flourish as he waved to a young man about her age with silvery hair and glasses. "I happened to rescue her from a vapid reporter in the lobby. We really should beef up security in this place." After a long moment of silence Dark groaned and asked, "What is it Hiwatari? I picked her up from downstairs like you asked; why are you glaring at me?"

Riku jumped a bit, she hadn't realized that this young man, apparently called Hiwatari, was glaring at Dark. The reflection on the lenses of his glasses was so strong that it prevented her from seeing his eyes.

Hiwatari leaned back in his chair and rubbed his temples. "Dark, you know the schedule well enough, fill Miss Harada in on what we have planned so far and what sort of events will take place, then please present her with this schedule of practices and other meetings you will have in the future." He instructed while holding out a manila envelope with Riku's name scrawled across the top.

Without missing a beat, Dark leaped out of his chair grabbed the envelope and gestured for Riku to follow him. Riku, a little disoriented with the sudden action and not sure how to address Hiwatari gave him a short bow before following after Dark.

"Hey, wait!" Riku called out; ignoring the curious looks of the people she passed. Dark was walking incredibly fast and Riku was having a hard time keeping up with his pace. Just when she thought she was catching up she realized that his retreating form had stopped, and unable to stop herself, she crashed right into him. However, she was the only one that fell to the tile floor. "Ow…" Riku groaned as she stood back up.

Dark looked back at the girl, trying not to laugh at her flustered self. He opened a door that led into a quiet hallway lined with doors. "Follow me." He told her and took off again.

Riku sighed and tried her best to get her shorter stature to keep up with Dark's taller form. 'His legs are so long that it's hard to keep up. Funny, I didn't notice when we were dancing before.' Riku thought to herself, slowly falling into a sleepy daze. She was rudely awakened from this zombie-like state when Dark turned sharply and led her into a brightly lit room with polished wood floors, a picturesque view of the city from a wall of windows, and three walls of mirrors. For a moment she was speechless. It was as if she'd fallen into a drama and dropped right into one of those classic ballet practice rooms. "It's so…" Riku trailed off.

"Beautiful? Glamorous? Out of this world? High class? Impressive?" Dark offered, grinning madly at her gaping expression.

"Cliché." She corrected and walked further into the room.

Dark clapped a hand to his chest as if he'd just had the wind knocked out of him. "You really know how to hurt someone with your careless speech." He informed Riku as she walked around the room examining the mirrors and the view outside. She clearly wasn't listening so he shrugged his shoulders and set up the stereo.

Riku turned as Jar of Hearts by Christina Perri began to play throughout the room.

Dark was stretching and pointed towards a door she hadn't noticed earlier on the far side of the room, "You can change in there."

Nodding, Riku changed in a space that was half locker room, have audio system. She noticed that the music had gone quiet so she went out into the room to see what had happened. When she did, the music started all over and Dark's deep violet eyes stared at her with an intensity that knocked the wind out of her and sent her heartbeat racing. After a few seconds she realized that he was creating a routine for the song on the spur of the moment.

For a second Riku was hypnotized by his movements and eventually found herself joining in near the end of the song. However, she did her own solo interpretation and managed to skirt around Dark. This time when the music stopped he pulled a small remote off the wall near the door that led out to the hallway and this time the song didn't start over.

"What was that?" he asked Riku, seemingly perplexed about something.

Confused, and unsure of what he meant she retorted, "What was what?" As she spoke she happened to realize her eyes tracing his form. She found that she had never appreciated what a nice body he had. A blush threatened to spread and she quickly shook her head and looked out the window at the city turning gold as the sun set.

"Don't play dumb, why did you do your own thing? For the program we will have to dance as a pair, not as separate dancers." He scolded her while trying to get into her line of sight.

She couldn't explain, of course she didn't want to tell him her reasons… how she felt embarrassed when they were closer than a foot. At first it seemed simple, but being alone in the same room made Riku extra aware of how incredibly handsome Dark really was. His perfect features, his soft violet hair, and his well-toned body.

A flush rose to her cheeks once again. "I-I-I-"she stammered, trying to think of something intelligent to say.

Dark sighed, took out a remote from what seemed like thin air and quickly pressed a button that made the song change. In no time DJ Got Us Falling in Love by Usher and Pitbull was blasting through the speakers. "Is this more your speed?" Dark asked her, his eyes daring her to challenge him.

Before Riku could think she had already fallen into the music once again. An urge to dance welled up inside her and in no time she'd fallen into her own rhythm. Every step, turn, and sway of her hips was perfectly in time with the beat.

After coming out of her own little routine for the chorus, Dark suddenly appeared in front of her. At first, Riku almost panicked and mistepped, but Dark took her hand and began guiding her into a different flow. Now she was dancing differently from her normal club moves, and had moved into something else entirely. With Dark everything seemed so easy and he somehow managed to make her feel weightless with the way he pulled her to either side of him on his whim, but with perfect synchronicity with the music. He was able to perfectly predict what movement would match the next beat. He was like a chess player, always several beats ahead, planning everything out and then executing it flawlessly.

By the time the song had ended both of them were breathing heavily and neither could seem to break the heated gaze they shared. A strange buzzing sound woke Dark from his trance and he offered Riku a hand up from her position on the floor. She didn't remember landing there exactly, but a vague memory of the final steps of their dance leading her to where she was entered her mind and Riku gladly accepted Dark's hand.

After hoisting her up Dark sauntered over to the door where an intercom, Riku hadn't noticed before, was. He pressed the blinking red button and asked almost teasingly, "Who is it?"

A slightly garbled, and seemingly angry reply came through the intercom and Dark held back a grin. He then muttered, "Yes, I know," and flipped a switch nearby. Having finished whatever business he turned back to Riku. He sized her up for a moment before flashing her a smile. "Our manager will be dropping by shortly." He informed her.

Riku just stared blankly at him. "Manager?" she asked tenatatively. She wasn't sure if she'd heard him correctly, but it seemed like she'd truly stepped into a world of stars. To think such a high tech dance studio could be used so freely and on top of that they had a manager? It was almost too much for Riku to take in. "Is he… nice?" Riku asked, a little uncertain in the unfamiliar world of professionals.

Dark glanced over his shoulder with a big grin plastered on his face, "Oh, you won't have to worry about him. He's a push-over." Something in the way he said "push-over" seemed almost well… dark, like he was sharing a private joke with himself and it was at this manager's expense.

After waiting only a few moments there was a click as a boy her age with flaming red hair as gravity defying as Dark's walked in with a broad grin on his face. "Hello, I'm Daisuke Niwa." He said with a short bow towards Riku. Then Daisuke turned towards Dark and whispered something in his ear that Riku couldn't hear. Whatever it was made Dark burst out laughing.

"No, it's not like that. Don't worry, I'll have the president explain everything. You know how he loves to handle these things." Dark waved away whatever it is Daisuke said with a smirk, but Daisuke didn't seem to share his sentiments. Still seeming a little grumpy he turned his attention to Riku. "Harada Riku-san right?" he asked gently.

Riku flustered, ran a hand through her hair that had gotten messy during dance practice, "Um, yes. I'm Harada Riku, nice to meet you." She gave Daisuke a quick bow.

Daisuke returned the greeting in kind and continued, "I'm glad to see that you've gotten to work on practicing already. I thought I'd go over the schedule for the next couple weeks with you and answer any questions you may have." He glanced over at Dark and added, "I understand that you already have Dark's number so if you have any problems feel free to call him, or if you can't reach him for whatever reason here's my number." With that Daisuke handed Riku a business card with Daiskue's name and phone number on it.

Intimidated by the professionalism the manager produced all Riku could do was nod silently in understanding.

Daisuke smiled at Riku as she nodded, "Alright, here's what your schedule will look like." He pulled out a mini calendar and showed it to her. "You'll notice that it's color coded. Blue means you'll have class, green means you'll have practice, and the other colors are interviews, photoshoots, and other events associated with the show." He took a short break in his explanation to check if Riku was following. Although she seemed to have gotten a bit pale, it appeared that she understood. "You'll be very busy over the course of the program, but please keep in mind that the most important thing is for you to remain healthy and unharmed. If you were to get hurt it would put us in a rather difficult situation and if we had to wait for you to recover it could put us behind schedule. Um, if you want to back out… now would be the time." Daisuke seemed to be bracing himself for an emotional overload or something, but it never came.

Riku bit her lip, this suddenly seemed very serious. She thought about all the responsibility she had by taking part in this program, and then thought of how much she enjoyed dancing with Dark. His movements were always so exciting and spontaneous. He kept her on her toes and she liked that he challenged her.

After a few moments of silence Riku let out a sigh, "I understand. I will do my best to stay healthy while working with you on the program."

Daisuke broke out grinning, "Thank you! You have no idea how important this is to our company. You've really saved us a lot of trouble." It seemed his gratitude towards Riku was similar to him drinking several cups of coffee because the manager couldn't seem to stop bouncing.

While the manager was wrapped up in his own little world of planning; which included lots of jumping around and interaction with his cell phone, Dark put a hand on Riku's shoulder and mad her turn and meet his gaze. "Thank you. I know it's scary to be taking on this big of a job while you're still in school. If things ever get too difficult for you or you need help, feel free to come talk to me." With that Dark collected his hyperactive manager and with a lazy wave was gone.

Riku stared blankly at the door the duo had just left through and allowed herself to fall back on a bench that was off to the side of the dance floor. Her head was spinning with everything she'd be expected to do and knew that she'd just signed on to a very hard task, but yet more than anything it was Dark's words that left her the most dazed.

As Riku sat, completely full of the day's events, a strange, low hum was coming from a small, electronic bug. On its tiny, metal body were the letters S.H.O.T.

XXXXX

**A/N: Hey, sorry about the incredibly long wait on this chapter, I got caught up in my first year of college and didn't really write much until now, so be expecting more updates this summer! Thank you for reading and I look forward to hearing from you all! Bye-bye!**

**-akinaxx**


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